Been many a time and heading back in June for two weeks. Calahonda is about location. Its a well developed residential area and not a beach type resort town. Parts of it away from the main road can be hilly and some of the newer apartments built in the last 10 years are way up the hills with very little in the way of shops and restaurants. Would advise sticking as close to avenida de espana as you cant get as it shortens the walk to the shops restaurants and bars. Good selection of all and some of the better restaurants are down in a shopping centre known as el zoco and the irish bar has the best atmosphere of the bars especially later in the evening. there are beaches at either end of calahonda and you can walk down to the little harbour at cabopiniofrom one of them. A car is not a necesity if your staying around calahonda. a taxi is about 60 quid from the airport and if you wanted a day out there is a bus that goes into marbella and fuengirola. Car hire in july can be very pricey aswell. we were there 3 years ago for two weeks in july and paid nearly €600 for a small car. If you do get a car day trips to gibralter, ronda, mijas granada & the alhambera, and another place which name has slipped my mind (has a mosque which is the cathederal and a museum on teh inquisition) are all easily doable. If the teens are alowed drink you can send them into fuengirola on the last bus for a night on teh town and clubbing and then get the bus home the next morning.

for got to say that there is a water park in fuengirola and on the way back from marbella is a amusment park called Funny Beach which has a go kart track and the usual games machines and rental peddle boats. you cant miss it, theres a ginat coca cola can outside it